Apparatus for storing gasolene and other inflammable oil.



C. L. FRENCH.

APPARATUS FQR sToRmG GAsoLBNB AND OTHER INPLAMMABLE OIL.

u APPLIOATION FILED APR.19, 1911.

1,058,956. l f fatentedApLllQl ,UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. FRENCH, 0F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR STORING'GASOLENE AND OTHER INFLAMMABLE OIL.

This invention relates to apparatus for storing and handling gasolene,naphtha,and other liquids, and while the apparatus is capable ofl general use, the construction herein shown is well adapted in many particulars for use in storlng gasolene at a garage. A l' It is now the commonpractice to store gasolene in tanks which are buried beneath the surface of the earth, and usually these 4tanks are provided with a filling pipe by which they may be filled and a suction pipe adapted to be connected to a pump and through which the gasolene may be withdrawn from the tank. Owing to the volatile nature of gasolene, itis very diiiicult .to handle it without generating a considerable quantity of the gasolene fumes, and

unless extreme precaution is taken, the generation of these gasolene fumes is likely to become a source of danger.

One of the objects of my' invention is to provide a storage tank for gasolene which is so constructed that the hazard of stor-l ing gasolene therein is reduced to a mini-- mum and so arranged that it can beflled from a distant point without generating any appreciable quantity of gasolene fumes and also so arranged that thedepth of the gasolene in the tank can be measured at an time and even While the tank is being fille and otherwise to improve storage systems for asolene of this general nature, all as will e more fully hereinafter described and then 'inted 'out in the appended claims.

Re erri'ng to the drawings wherein I have shown a selected embodiment of my invention, Figure l is a view showing my improved storagesystem as it might be used in connection with a garage; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the llingbox; Fig. 34 is a section through the filling box on the line @v -w, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View showing part of the tank wit-h the bushing J Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April,19, 191.1. Serial No. 621,966.

vother building.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

and the filling pipe connected thereto and also the splash preventer and seal at 'the lower end of the filling pipe; Fi 5 is .a section on the line a-a, Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the. cap for the vent pipe.

My improvements are adapted for us'e in` connection with a storage tankv for the' storage of any liquid and situated in Iany locat-ion. In order to illustrate the principle of the invention I have shown it herein as it mi ht be used in connection with a tank for t e storage of gasolene or napht-ha at or adjacent to a garage, but I Wish it understood that the invention is not limited in its use to the storage of any'particular liquid nor to any particular location.

As herein shown 1 designates a street or roadway having a sidewalk 2 along the l same, and 3 designates generally a garage or The storage tank for the gasolene or naphtha is sh`wn at 4 and it is illustrated as being buried in the ground beneath the garage at `some suitable point.

My improved apparatus comprises a. filling pipe of novel construction arranged so that the tank l.tcan be filled from the sidewalk or from some other oint outside of the garage, or other buil ing, a separate gage pipe which, is situatedsothat a Vgage rod may be inserted into it to measure the depth of liquid in the tank at all times, a suction pi through which the liquid is withdrawn fibm the tank, and a vent pipe for carrying ofi:` any fumes which may be generated within the tank, these four pipes 90 all being separate and distinct from each other.

The filling pipe is shown at 5 and inthe i present embodiment of my invention it leads to a filling box 6 which may conveniently be located in the sidewalk 2. This pipe 5 is connected to the tank by means of a usual boiler flange construction which is shown best in Fig. 4, and which comprises a flange 8 securedto the tank, and a bushing 1'00 70 screwed into the flange and adapted to have the pipe 5 screwed th'ereinto. The bushing 70 also has screwed into its inner end a delivery' pipe 9 which extends substantially to the bottom of the tank 4, and 105 this deliverypipeis provided at its lower end with a combined splash preventcr and seal which operates bot to prevent the 'nenLA tering gasolene from splashing or dashing against the bottom of the .tank and thus 11o through .the o may be insert flange 8 topermit the ment which. willv stirring up any; may be filling .that in thefcase fillingpipe 5, liam'eor spark thus causing an shown `will pre readily inserted lan e v8t so that tort e bottomof may then be Ascrewed into and then the pip into place. The combined is shown best in Figs. .4; and 5, and comprises' ya body portion through and interiorly screw threaded to body and arranged yso that the gasolene- Issuing from the iectorjand be de yvardly thereby.

i Hector at the vannular delivery edge. 13 thereof is larger than that-an annular discharge space 14 is formed through Whiclrth an annular sheet chargespace will preferably have cross sectional area than that ofthe 12, as clearly` seen the stream of through the passa the discharge'sp vapors. This asy to admit of yet have va disch ing at its lower edge 13 of the deiector level ofthey lower end that when the bo ot gasolene, the lower end of the passa eway 10 lwill be sealed and will remainseale even the liquid level falls below the gasolene `which is delivered through pipe 9 will by its Contact with the de- 'when The the :Hector be convert the gasolene Wer present and to seal the bot-tom of the pipe so as to fumes in the tank' through. This seal it operates to prevent any .from entering the tankv and explosion. The seal. herein ferablyl be .at a size to be ed throu gasolene which is delivered ace 14, with-fa ygentle Inoveobviateentirely any splash and the consequent formation ofgasolen'e deflector 1l is secured to the body 10 in any. suitable w webs 15. vln order that the deflector at the'edgelthereof may be such ening in the flange 8, and arge area, 1^- proposeto n1 rote,

sediment 'or `Water which prevent any gasolene from 'esc'apmg "ther also has -the advantage of lire or accidentto the hroughthe opening in they said seal may lbe attached' the pipe )9, yand `said pi-oe' the bushing e,9 with the seal vatt-ecimed. gh the opening in the. bushing to be screwed,

splash preventer and` ected 'outwardly and .'upf The diameter yof the de? thatfof the body 10,;so

e gasolene isdelivered in` and vthis .annulam isa larger passage in the drawings; so that ge 12 will flow out through ay, as by. meansof diameter of the the. device being passed opening 14 of Suiiieient ake the body 1()v taperend, as at 16.; The upper issituated abovethe of the body l0 so Wl-shaped deflector is' full bowl.

ed into a `sheet which will as -would be the-case :if e delivered directly from :the pipe "5 #which issuing therefr iAs zstated. above the pipe 5 'a filling box 6 which comprise gway 19 which leads to the pip a screw-threaded nippl jthe chamber 18, and this nipple is adapted' the opening water tight bya cap. 23 W formed on a slight )and the 'boss 24' will be delivered throught-be discharge opening le and will flow over the e lor less gentle streamy Which will not cause Athe generation of any appreciable amount -with one orlrnore d otgasolene fumes usually ends at the top of the'tanlr. Where the pipe does thus end at the top of the tank the stream of gasolene om impinges against the bottom of the tank with such force as to cause 'considerable foam and agitation of the li uid and a consequent generation of gaso ene fumes.

connects with s a chambered body portion 17 formed with the interior chamber 18 and constructed with a passage# e 5. The :tsat its upper en in` e 2O situated within sageway 19 terminates for hose veonnection and is preferably clomid by ai cap 21 screw-threaded thereon, said' cap being situated entirely within-the chamber.` 18. The filling box is provided with 2 2 leading to the chamber-18, vand this opening is ada ted to be closed iiich screw threads thereinto and' which comes preferably flush. with the top surface ofthe box, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The passageway 19 is shown`l in Fig.\3 as being curved, so as toope vthrough the sideof the body. I have here- 1n shown the body as ternally 'screvv-threade ing with the the end body 17. s preferably provided on each side with the lugs or r projections 25 which have' flat upperY faces 4and are preferably situated a distance below the top ofthe box equal rovided with -the .inboss 24 communicatpassageway 19 and into which fio ofthe pipe 5 )maybe screwed. The

to the thickness of a brick. The box 6 is also preferably square and of the Width of a brick so that wlxansit is placed in a side` walk and the brickjsare laid so as to rest on the.lugs 25, the 'to face of the box will come just flush-with tie surface of the siderIt is possible, therefore, to lace this .box'in the sidewalk and yet have t e bricks lit it closely so that it will not form any objectionable feature in the sidewalk. -In Fig. 2 I have shownthe bricks in dotted lines, and said reshows the relative position ofthe bric s to the box. With this construction the bricks will; always be kept level with the top of the filling box, for if the heaving of to raise the box, the lugs 25 will carry the bricks upwith thebox so asA to maint-ain 'the box and bricks `always level. The top ofthe-filling box Iwill also preferably be .incline sok as to conform tor-.fthe inclinatich onslant of the sidewalk,`

e direction to co of the pipe 5.

slightly'in the opposit i The box 6 s hereiu `shown as proviileilf.l

rlp openings 2G frvlnclm;` ber 1S and wlucb-ijdrm lead into the nham a means `for draining said chamber igiiso" Preferably be vslanted .1,

the ground due to the frost tends las the caps.v This construction makes it im' possible to remove the caps without havingthe proper-shaped tool and thus constitutes a safe-guard against having the box tampered with bui/unauthorized persons. When the tank 4C is to be filled, the caps 23 and 21 are removed and then a suitably-shapedr funnel may be screwed onto the nipple 20, into which funnel the gasolene is discharged, or y,the tank Wagon or other source of gasolene supply may be connected directly to the nipple 20 by means of a. hose. This form of filling box is not herein claimed as it is. Amade the subject @"2 a divisional application,

Se. No. 722,613, filed September, 27,1912.

The gage pipe is shown at 29 and it isentirely separate from the filling pipe 5, it, being connected to a boiler flan e as above described and extending substantially to the bottom of the tank. At the upper end it is secured to a connection 6EL similar in all respects to the filling box 6, and which is prefcrably located in the floor of the garage, eX- ceptthat the connection 6@ has the passageway 19 extending vertically through the saine instead of opening through the side. This gage pipe 29 provides means whereby a gage rod may be inserted into the tank at any time whether thetankis being filled 'or not. Since the gagepipe 10 extends to 'the bottom of the tank 4, it will be Sealed at the bottom, fand, therefore, no gasolene fumes will escape when the cap lot the connection 6 is removed.

I propose to makethe gage pipe 29 oi sullicient size so as to permit a person to take a correct measurement by means of any ordinary gage stick.

. The suction pipe is shown at 30 and it is also connected to the tank by means of a separate boiler flange and extends to the bottom of the tank, it being provided on its lower end with a suitable foot valve 3l. This pipe 30 extends up into the garage at some suitable point. and the upper end is.

adapted to have a. pipe of a suction pump secured thereto in usual fashion. This upper end is normally closed by a suitable cap 32.

33 designates a vent pipe which is separate from the other pipes and connects into the tank at the top thcrcotl and which leads to any suitable point above surrouinling buildings, as shown in Fig. l, the upper end being preferably provided with a guard 34.- Which may be of substantially thc saine construction as the splash prcvcntcr l1 eX- cept that it is inverted in position from that in which the splash'preventer is used. 'A device of this sort prevents the entrance ot rain or snow into the pipe whileallowing gasolene fumes to escape. I willl referably" place a tire arrester 71 in the pipe 3Y directly above the tank to prevent danger of lire` entering the tank through said pipe 33.

lVith wit-hout causing the Uasolene to be dashed 1 my improved system it will be ob`4 served that the tank can be filled at any time against the bottom of the tank and ithus gene'ri ating a large quantity of asolenefumes and l furthermore the lower en of the lling pipe is sealed at all times so that even when the tank lis empty there will be no escape of gasolene fumes when the caps are v`removed from the filling box 6. It will also be seen that by employing a separa'tegage tube 29V it is possible to gage the depth of the liquid in the tank at any time whether the tank is being yiilled'or whether .it .is being emptied. Furthermore my system is ro-vv vided with such safeguards that evenlf-a fire should occur in the garage or buildin 3 and the various pipes leading to the tan should become broken, there is very slight e danger of an explosion.

Having" fully described my linventiornf what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is p 1. The combination with a storage tank for liquids, of 'a filling pipe entering said I tank and extending to the bottom thereof and a combined splash reventer and seal attached to the lower en of said pipe and having van upwardly--directed discharge passage of greater area than the cross-sectional areao said pipe and situated above 'the bottom of the seal ivherebya quantity of liquid willalways remainin the seal to seal the filling pipe regardless of the level of the liquid in the tank.

2. ln a system for storingliquids, the

combination with a storage tank, of a filling ipe entering said tank and extending to the iiottom thereof, means on the lower end' of said pipe to seal it at all times against the passage of gas therethrough and to prevent splashing of the liquid delivered thereto against the bot-tom of the tank, said means comprising a bowl-shaped member into Mii which the filling pipe discharges centrally and which has an annular discharge open,n ing exterior to and encircling said pipey whereby the liquid is dischar edfrom said bowl-shaped member on all sic es tl'iereot.

3. The combination with a storage tank for liquids, 'of a filling pipe entering said tank and extending to the bottom thereof,

and a combined splash preventer and seal attached to the lower end of the pipe and having a liquid-dcflecting surface to deflect upwardly the liquid dispharged from the filling pipe and also having an outlet passage at the upper end of said deecting sufi discharge passage xbm/e theJ bottom thereof face which has a greater cross-sectional areziv than 'that 0f the pipa 4.111 a system for storing liquids, the

r cqmbination with s, storage tank, c )f a filling pme entering said tank ami. extending to the bdttnm thereof, and a splzisiyprevntlng seal On the lower end of said pipe, said seal4 comprising a bowl-shjpe member into which the 'pipe dimimi:ge.V which has a of greater area than that of the pipe.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES L. FRENCH.

TViyibiiesses LOUIS C. SMITH, 'THOMAS J. DRUMMOND. 

